Giants edge JCHS (01/03/08)

The Patriots were happy to compete for the first time in their new home. But they fell just short of christening the facility with a victory.

Jay County High School's gymnastics team scored nearly two points higher in their first meet at the Portland National Guard Armory than in their season opener on the road, but fell just short with a 91.775-91.75 loss to the Marion Giants.

"I knew it would be close," said JCHS coach Kristen Millspaugh, whose team also competed against the Giants at the Marion pairs meet, "but I didn't realize it would be that close. ... It was a winnable meet. We had lots and lots of falls on the beam ... and I think that was the difference right there.

"They will most definitely be a sectional contender, and I think we will be too."

The Patriots' top four competitors suffered nine falls on the balance beam, and seven of those came from their top three scorers. With each fall counting for an automatic half-point deduction, Jay County gave up 3.5 points on those miscues alone on the way to the loss by just 25 thousandths of a point.

Marion, which was led by wins from Emily Guarneri in every event, outscored JCHS by nearly two points on the beam, the widest margin on any event.

Millspaugh said new elements, including back handsprings for senior Erika Hunt, junior Jenny Buckland and freshman Kristen Ainsworth, probably contributed to the difficult night on the beam.

"We'd been focusing a little more on the Christmas break with new things instead of on routines," she said. "That was the first time any of them had done (back handsprings).

"I think we should have gained a lot of confidence tonight. I think going for it in a meet situation does a lot to build confidence. To me, that's what these early meets are all about."

Guarneri, the 2007 Muncie Central sectional champion on the balance beam, powered the Giants as she outscored the field by more than two points. She posted a 33.825 all-around score, and won every event by a least a quarter of a point.

Her high score came with an 8.95 on the vault. She added an 8.7 on the floor, and was the only gymnast to clear 8.0 on the bars or beam with scores of 8.1 and 8.075 respectively.

"One thing against a team like Marion is we don't have anybody who can match their No. 1," said Millspaugh. "We're just nice and solid on all four events. We don't really have one event that stands out as a strength or a weakness."

That showed as JCHS took second and third behind Guarneri on three out of four events.

Senior Erika Hunt, who finished second in the all-around at 31.6, placed in every event, and her high score was a second-place 8.45 on the floor. She was third on the vault (8.5), bars (7.5) and beam (7.15).

Ainsworth placed second on the bars at 7.75 and third on the floor with an 8.1. Senior Kendra Homan was the vault runner-up at 8.65.

The only gymnast other than Guarneri to crack the top three for Marion was Jamie Snyder with a 7.3 on the beam for second place.

"(Erika) did a new vault tonight just to see what it would score. She was solid on all four events," said Millspaugh. "You can tell there's some experience there. She carries herself well.

"I think Kristen has a really bright future."

In addition to her two top-three efforts, Ainsworth also scored for the Patriots on the beam with a 6.6. Buckland also had a 6.6 on the beam to go along with a 6.85 on the bars, and Lexie Rowles posted scores of 8.05 on the vault and 7.55 on the floor.

Millspaugh said one of the biggest benefits to their new home is being able to have a full spring floor set up at all times in the armory. She's seeing the results in endurance already.

"I'm really happy with the way we can get through our floor routines," said Millspaugh. "I think we're already where we usually are at sectional time."[[In-content Ad]]